Angel Hernandez, a native of El Salvador, asks instructor Elizabeth Regalado a question about the new citizenship test. Hernandez will be taking the new version of the test after Oct. 1. (MPR Photo/Elizabeth Baier)

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School referenda split throughout Minn.

by Minnesota Public Radio

September 29, 2008

The structure of the test itself hasn't changed. Applicants will still need to prove they have knowledge of the English language, civics and history by answering correctly to six out of 10 open-ended questions.
What has changed is the way immigration officers will ask these questions. They say the more nuanced questions are meant to make the test more meaningful.

Question:

• Old version: What country did we fight during the Revolutionary War?

Click on the links or scroll down to see the acceptable answers in the new version of the citizenship test.

Acceptable answers

On the previous test, though the questions were still open-ended, based on the way they were asked there was only one correct answer. On the new test, the rephrasing of the questions allow for more than one correct answer. For the questions above, the following answers would be considered correct. Officials say the questions still convey the same idea, but the new ones allow for the applicant to answer in various, more complex ways that rely on more than just rote memorization.

Question: Why did the colonists fight the British?

• Because of high taxes (taxation without representation)

• Because the British army stayed in through houses (boarding, quartering)